Mindless Behavior
by KelciLynn
Summary: "Oh, great punishment, Danny!" Danielle snapped sarcastically, emphasizing my name, as though it didn't hurt enough that she no longer called me Dad. Danny sends Danielle to live with Johnny and Kitty, in the hopes that they can fix her attitude problem.
1. Desperate Measures

Mindless Behavior

Chapter One:

Danny's POV:

"That's it, Danielle! Go to your room!" I yelled.

"Oh, great punishment, _Danny_!" Danielle snapped sarcastically, emphasizing my name, as though it didn't hurt enough that she no longer called me Dad. "My room. How old am I? Five?" She stomped up the stairs to her room, her stiletto heeled boots clicking loudly.

I'd had just about enough of her attitude lately. When Danielle had first moved in, when I was only fifteen, she'd been so sweet. I'd immediately become aware that I thought of her as my daughter, and then I adopted her. It had been nearly four years, but lately, Danielle's behavior had become atrocious. She'd stopped calling me Dad months ago, she started wearing short skirts and high heels, wearing _way_ too much makeup, and stopped listening to anyone. Sam had tried to talk to her about it, but Danielle had pushed her away, too. Danielle told her that she wasn't her mother and shouldn't try to tell her what to do. Sam had eventually given up, as had Jazz, Star, and Mom. No one could get through to her.

It had started out small, Danielle would backtalk me or refuse to clean her room. Then things got worse. She was sneaking out at night and going to high school, sometimes even college parties, with kids she didn't even know. She'd just arrive on the scene and have a wild night. Half the time, I had no idea where she was.

I didn't know what to do anymore. Johnny and Kitty had offered to take her until I graduated and try to straighten her out. To be honest, I was kind of scared to send her to live with them. They both had a soft-spot for Danielle, but I knew Johnny was tough disciplinarian.

However, I had to make a decision and I had to do what was best for Danielle, so I would give her one more chance to prove that she could straighten up.

I walked upstairs and knocked on her bedroom door. "What?" she asked. I sighed and pushed open the door. Her once pink walls were now plastered in posters of popular rock bands and shirtless guys. She was sitting on her bed, that had an orange and black swirled comforter on it, with her legs crossed. "What do you want?" she asked.

"Danielle, I'm giving you one more chance to prove that you can improve your behavior. If you can't, I'm sending you to live with Johnny and Kitty."

"In the _Ghost Zone_?" she asked, making it sound like I'd suggested she go live in a sewer.

"Yes, so it would benefit you to straighten up. Do you understand?"

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes.

"Danielle, I'm serious."

"So am I."

"You know you're grounded, right?"

"Dually noted."

I sighed and walked out of her room, closing the door.

For a few days, it seemed as though my threat was working, until Ember's concert, that was. It was on a school night and I knew it would last way past midnight, which was Danielle's curfew. There were a few reasons I wouldn't let Danielle go to the concert, though. The first being the fact that Ember was one of my close friends and Danielle could see her sing anytime she wanted to. The second was that I had a paper due and couldn't take her, and there was no way I was letting her go into the Ghost Zone on her own. And the third was the fact that the concerts were no place for a fifteen year old girl, especially one who was technically only four years old.

"Danny," she whined, "_everyone_ is going!"

"Who is everyone, Dani?" I asked, not looking up from my laptop.

"Just...everyone. And my name isn't Dani, that's _your_ name!"

"Danielle, you're not going to that concert and that's final," I said calmly.

She huffed and stormed out of my bedroom. It was only a moment later that I heard her door slam shut. I let it slide, she'd been behaving the past few days. She'd cleaned her room and stopped screaming at me every chance she got.

My parents were out of town, so it was just me and Danielle that night. I ordered pizza around nine and, when it arrived, I took a break from my paper. "Danielle! Time to eat!" I called.

When she didn't respond, I went up to her room and knocked on the door. After still getting no response, I pushed open her door. She wasn't there and I had a bad feeling that she was in the Ghost Zone at the concert.

I pulled my cellphone out of my pocket and called Walker. "Hello?" he answered.

"Walker, I need you to do me a favor," I said.

"Alright," he replied.

"Danielle sneaked out Ember's concert. Can you see if you can find her and bring her home?"

"Absolutely."

"Thanks," I sighed in relief. "I'll leave the portal open."

"Okay."

He hung up and I went down to the lab to open the portal. It was nearly three hours later, nearly midnight, when Walker brought Danielle home. She was drunk. My fifteen year old daughter was completely shitfaced, wearing a tight, mid-drift exposing shirt and a leather miniskirt, not to mention the high heeled boots that went up past her knee. Where the hell did she even get these clothes?

"Hi, Dad," she slurred, stumbling toward the sofa. She sat down, crossing her legs, and giggled.

I could feel my temper rising, but I turned to Walker. "Thank you," I told him. "I promise you this will not be happening again."

He nodded, "I trust it won't. Goodnight." With that, he turned and went back into the portal. I closed it, then I whirled back around to face my daughter. I knew from personal experience that her being a halfa meant that her tolerance for alcohol was high, which meant she must have drank a _lot_.  
"Danielle!" I exploded. "What the fuck were you thinking?!"

"Whoa, chill out," she mumbled. "I just wanted to have some fun."

"This is not the sort of fun fifteen year old girls have! You know what? Screw it! I'm sending you to live with Johnny and Kitty!"

That sobered her up quickly. "Dad, no! You can't do that!"

"I can and I am! You need to learn to behave and I obviously can't teach you myself!"

"Danny-"

"Danielle, don't even try to convince me otherwise. Go upstairs and get ready for bed, we'll make arrangements tomorrow."

Danielle stared at me, horror on her face as the reality of her punishment sunk in. "I hate you!" she screeched, then she stomped upstairs to her bedroom, slamming the door so hard that the walls shook.

The next morning, I had Sam cover for me, as I was staying home with my daughter. I let her sleep in, knowing that having a discussion with her while she had a hangover wouldn't go well, especially not the discussion we needed to have. Besides, I needed to call Johnny and Kitty first.

Kitty answered on the first ring, "Hello?"

"I think I'm going to take you guys up on the offer to let Danielle come live with you."

"Why? What happened?" Kitty asked, concerned.

"She went to Ember's concert last night, without my knowledge or approval, dressed like a complete slut. Walker brought her home around midnight and she was belligerently drunk. She needs to get her attitude in check and I don't think I can do it myself."

"Well, I'm sure Johnny and I can get her on track," Kitty said.

"I hope so."

"Why don't you get her things packed and bring her over later?"

"Alright. Thank you."

"No problem."

I hung up and waited for Danielle to get out of bed. It was nearly noon when she finally stalked into the living room, wearing her bathrobe with her hair a mess. "Good morning," I said evenly.

She grunted in response and sat down on the sofa. "Look, Danielle, I wasn't kidding last night. I'm sending you to live with Johnny and Kitty for the remainder of the year."

"What?" she asked, her jaw dropping.

"You heard me, Danielle. I want you to go get cleaned up, then pack your bags. I'm taking you to their lair later."

"This is so unfair! You can't do this to me!"

"After your performance last night, you're lucky I'm not sending you to a boarding school or having your powers removed."

Her eyes narrowed at my last words, "You wouldn't dare."

"Don't test me. Go get ready. Now."

Two hours later, I was loading Danielle's luggage into the Specter Speeder, the one my parents had given me on my sixteenth birthday. It was jet black and sleek, with leather interior. "Danielle," I said, as she climbed into the passenger seat and put on her seat belt. "You know I'm only doing this for your own good, right?"

"No," she sniffed. "I don't know that."

I reached over to touch her shoulder, but she jerked away from me as though I'd shocked her. I pulled my hand back and pressed the button to open the speeder. We flew through the zone to Kitty and Johnny's lair.

Johnny helped me carry her suitcases to the guest room. After that, Kitty and Johnny walked me to the door. Danielle was lying on the sofa, facing away from me. "Goodbye, Danielle," I said. "I love you."

In response, Danielle flipped me off. I growled quietly and turned to Kitty and Johnny, "Good luck."

"Don't worry. We'll have her straightened out in no time. We'll call you and keep you updated."

"Thank you guys. So much."

"No problem, Danny," Johnny said. "Don't worry."

I left the Ghost Zone and I couldn't help but feel as though I was abandoning her. I knew I was only doing it for her own good, but I hated that it had come to this. I couldn't see where I had gone wrong. After I'd adopted her, I'd done my best to be the most loving and caring father I could be. I did everything with her and took care of her, yet she was still rebelling against me. I didn't understand it. She had been my little girl for so long, why did that suddenly change?

I sighed and pounded my fist against the steering wheel in frustration. I could only hope that Johnny and Kitty could straighten her out.


	2. Ember's Slip-Up

Mindless Behavior

Chapter Two:

**A/N: For those reading my other story "Hurting You, Killing Me," I'm still working on it, I just need to figure some stuff out on it, so I'm taking a break to work on this.**

Johnny's POV:

I was furious with Danielle for the way she'd spoken to Kitty, but I couldn't show Danielle just how angry I was. I did, however, want to get the point across that I was pissed. I threw open the door and stormed into the room. "Danielle, I don't want you to ever talk to Kitty that way again," I said.

She didn't respond and she was facing away from me. I walked around to the other side of the bed and knelt in front of her, but she turned away. I grasped her face gently between my thumb and forefinger. "You are not going to disrespect Kitty again, is that understood?"

"Whatever," she said, jerking away from me.

"And, my darling," I said, "_you_ will be doing the dishes tonight. And don't even think you can get away with barely washing them, because if you do, you will be doing them again."

After that, I stood up and walked out, closing the door behind me.

That night, after dinner, Danielle did the dishes as I'd requested and retired to bed early. Danielle didn't seem to be getting much better. She was still being snide and rude, yelling when she didn't get her way. Kitty and I were to our wits end with her. Then the...incident happened.

Ember had come over for dinner and, oblivious to the reason Danielle was staying with us, spouted off something about a big party in the north side of the zone. I shot a glance at Danielle, but even with my quick, casual glance, I saw how intrigued she looked at the idea of a party.

Kitty diverted the subject away from the upcoming party to the ever changing relationship status between Ember and Skulker. Ember immediately launched into a tale of the latest argument they'd had, and how Skulker was making it up to her.

After dinner, Danielle excused herself to her room, opting not to watch television with me and Kitty. Kitty glanced at me as Danielle walked into her room. "You need to go make it clear that she isn't going to sneak out to that party."

I nodded and went down to Danielle's room. There was no lock on the door now, as I'd removed it after Danielle had called Kitty a bitch. I walked into the room and found Danielle brushing her hair in front of the mirror.

"Danielle, I just want to make it clear that you are not going to be sneaking out to that party."

"Whatever," she replied, her signature comeback.

"I mean it, Danielle."

"Fine," she snapped, slamming her brush down on the dresser. "Will you go away now so I can get ready for bed?"

I raised my hands up in the universal sign of backing off and walked out of her room. Later that night, I sneaked into Danielle's room and found her asleep on the bed. Satisfied, Kitty and I went to bed.


	3. The Party

Mindless Behavior

Chapter Three:

Danielle's POV:

The hour I waited for Kitty and Johnny to go to bed dripped by slowly, seeming to take an eternity. Finally, Johnny walked in to check on me. After their bedroom door clicked shut, I gave it another hour and half, long enough for the lovebirds to settle down for the night, I then crept out of my room and down the hall. I slowly opened the front door and flew out into the pitch blackness and green swirls of the Ghost Zone. I hardly knew my way around the Ghost Zone, but I knew which was north was. Plus, how many parties could the Ghost Zone have in one night? I was certain it wouldn't be that hard to find.

After flying around for a bit, I found the party. It was being held on a huge island, with loud music and smoke, not to mention drinks that Dad, Johnny, and Kitty would kill me if I drank. I landed on the island and changed back into my human form. Though my ghost outfit was pretty hot, I liked the party outfit I'd chosen better. A short, black leather skirt, my knee high boots, and a bright green halter top.

I walked around the island, trying to look like I belonged, and praying that no one would recognize me as Danny Phantom's daughter. Boy, would that cause a scene- and not a good one! The party seemed to be in full-swing, but no party was complete until I was the center of attention. I needed to find someone to dance with. I turned in a slow circle, looking for someone to dance with, when someone walked up behind me. "Danielle?"

My heart jumped into my throat; I was certain I'd been caught. I spun around and came face-to-face with a pirate. I was confused, how did he know me? I stared up into his green eyes and, suddenly, I recognized him. "Youngblood?" I asked in shock.

"It's me," he said.

"Wow," I said, unable to help myself. The last time I'd seen Youngblood, I'd been with Dad in the zone a few years ago. Youngblood had been short and annoying, and nowhere near handsome or hot. Now, though, he was standing in front of me looking like he'd walked off some sort of movie set. He was wearing his usual pirate outfit, but it had been upgraded. His green hair was grown out and pulled back into a ponytail under his hat. He was wearing a heavy jacket and boots, and had a piercing in his ear. He was _hot_. "You've certainly grown up," I said, taking a sip of my drink.

"You're one to talk," he retorted. "So where's Phantom?"

"Shh," I quieted him teasingly. "I may or may not have sneaked out."

"Really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Doesn't seem likely, considering that the last time I saw you, you were Daddy's little girl."

"Things change." I said. "Last time I saw _you_, you were an annoying little pirate."

"Still a pirate," he pointed out, tipping his hat and grinning at me.

I smiled coyly, "I can see that."

"Care to dance?" he asked, as a loud pop song started.

"Sure," I said, taking his hand and leading him to the center of the island where everyone was dancing. I was definitely going to make a scene.

Johnny's POV:

I got up around two in the morning, but I didn't know why. I just had a feeling something was wrong. I woke Kitty up as I got out of bed. "Johnny?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," I replied slowly. "I'm going to go check on Danielle."

I walked out of our room and down the hall to Danielle's. I pushed her door open and peeked in. She wasn't there. "I knew it!" I shouted, instantly pissed.

"What is it?" Kitty asked, walking up behind me.

"She's gone. She went out to that party!" I walked back to our room and grabbed my jacket and motorcycle keys.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to go find her."

"Johnny," she said reasonably, touching my arm gently, "let's just wait for her to get back."

I sighed, "Fine."

The two of us sat in the living room for another hour before the door finally opened and a very drunk Danielle, dressed in the sluttiest outfit I'd ever seen, walked in. I wouldn't have reacted so badly if she had seemed the least bit remorseful when she came in, but she blew us off. "Danielle, care to explain where you've been?"

"Not really," she said, shrugging out of her jacket, dropping it on the floor.

"Too bad. We're going to talk about this."

"No, we're not," she said.

"Danielle-"

"Back off, Johnny!" she snapped. "You're not my father!"

"Yeah, because if I was you wouldn't be acting like this!" I snapped.

"Like what? A little bitch? Yeah, Johnny! You've got your girlfriend to do that, don't you?"

I snapped. I grabbed her arm and twisted her around, delivering a firm swat to her bottom. She gaped at me. "Did you just spank me?" she asked incredulously.

I avoided her question, "Go you bed. You're getting up in a few hours to do chores."

She let out a frustrated screech and stormed to her bedroom, slamming her door, as usual. I turned to Kitty. "Did I really just do that?" I asked, sitting on the sofa.

Kitty picked up Danielle's jacket and draped it over the back of the chair. "Yes, and she deserved it. She needs to learn better."

"You're right. We should probably go to bed."

Kitty followed me down the hall to our room. At seven, I stumbled out of bed and got Danielle up. I directed her to the garage, where she was to organize all my tools and wash the bike- with my shadow to supervise her. I then went back to bed.

A few hours later, when I woke up, I went to the kitchen to find Danielle helping Kitty make breakfast. I leaned against the door frame, unsure of what I was seeing. Danielle looked at me, "I finished in the garage," she stated.

I looked for my shadow, which was in the corner of the room. It nodded at me and I called it back to me. Danielle was unusually quiet throughout breakfast and afterward, I went and found my garage and bike completely spotless. I was a little impressed, but I was also suspicious. I went back into the kitchen and found Kitty sitting at the table reading, while Danielle did the dishes. After she finished, she went to her room, leaving the door partially open.

"What's that all about?" I asked.

"I have no idea. She finished the garage and came into the kitchen to ask if she could help me. Then when you went to the garage, she started on the dishes by herself. And when I tried to help, she told me to sit down and relax."

"Well, hopefully she'll stay this way."

I went back out to the garage to make my weekly call to Danny. "How is she?" he asked, sounding as anxious as he did every time I called.

"Well, I caught her sneaking back in after going to a party-"

He cut me off by groaning, but before he could speak, I carried on, "I gave her a swat and she's been acting very well behaved this morning."

"Really?" he asked. I could tell he was surprised, but I could also tell that he didn't like that I had swatted her.

"Yeah. She's being good, offered to help Kitty with breakfast, then did the dishes without being asked."

"That's good," he said slowly. "I was actually thinking of coming to see her."

"Okay. When do you want to?"

"I was thinking tonight, after dinner."

"Alright. We'll see you then."

"Okay. Bye."

"Later," I said, hanging up.

I walked out to find Kitty. "I just got off the phone with Danny. He's coming over tonight to see her."

"That's great," she said, smiling at me.

"Danielle!" I called, careful not to use the nickname that she now hated.

She came out of her room, "Yes?"

"Your dad is coming to see you tonight."

Her face clouded over instantly, "Just great," she muttered, then she turned on heel and stomped back to her bedroom, shutting the door harder than necessary.

"What was that about?" I wondered out loud. I went down the hall and pushed open her door. "What's going on, Danielle?" I asked. "Why don't you want to see him?"

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Johnny. Really, I don't."

"Alright, but I want you to behave yourself when he comes."

"Fine," she said, closing her eyes and laying back on her bed. "Please go away."

I walked out of her room and closed the door. "Well?" Kitty inquired.

"She wouldn't talk about it," I said. Somehow, though I was confused, I felt like maybe we were getting closer to the source of Danielle's attitude problem.

Danny's POV:

That night around seven, I went to Johnny and Kitty's lair. I had a stack of books in the passenger seat of the speeder. I was planning on giving them to Johnny and Kitty, giving them instructions to make Danielle read a few pages a day. I was going to let her start high school the next year if she could learn to behave herself. I also had another surprise for Danielle, one that I hoped she'd like.

Kitty let me in when I got to their lair. I had the books in one hand and a bag containing Danielle's surprise in the other. "Hi, Danny," she said, stepping aside to let me walk in.

"Hi," I said. I handed her the books before we got to the living room and explained my plan to her.

"Of course," she said. I followed her to the living room where Danielle and Johnny were sitting.

"Hey, Johnny. Hi, Danielle."

"Hey, dude," Johnny greeted me. "Have a seat."

Danielle just stared at me, then looked away. I sat down on the loveseat across from her, "I brought you something," I said, placing the present on her lap.

"Thanks," she mumbled, refusing to look at me.

"You can open it," I said.

She opened the bag slowly and pulled out the ridiculous pink paper I'd put in it, then she pulled out the present. It was the stuffed bear I'd given her four years ago when I'd first adopted her. It was brown and had a black shirt with our symbol on it. She'd adored it when I'd presented it to her and named it Cujo after the ghost dog we both adored.

She stared at it, "Cujo," she said tonelessly. "Thanks." She sat the bear down and leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest.

It was awkward and silent; Danielle wouldn't even look at me, just stared down at her hands.

Kitty somehow managed to start a conversation about Danielle's incredible cooking ability, which surprised me. I couldn't cook at all. It was strange.

Danielle seemed to lighten up at the talk of her cooking and I couldn't understand it. After awhile, I decided it was time to leave. "Bye, Danielle," I said, after having said my goodbyes to Kitty and Johnny.

"Bye."

"I love you," I said hopefully.

She locked eyes with me for the first time all night. "I know," she stated.

I nodded and went out to the speeder.


	4. Rebellion

Mindless Behavior

Chapter Four:

Danielle's POV:

After Dad left, I took my stupid bear to my bedroom and shut the door. I hated him for this. I hated Vlad, too. I hated that I was nothing but a stupid clone and I hated that no one seemed to understand how much it killed me. No one got it. No one understood.

I looked at my cellphone, which was sitting on the bedside table. I had a message from Youngblood. Before coming home after the party, Youngblood had given me his number.

I grabbed my phone and read the message, he was asking me when I could sneak out again to see him.

I replied that it would probably be a few days because Johnny was still obvious pissed at me. He'd _spanked_ me! No one, not even _Vlad_, had ever spanked me. I was angry with him for it, but I knew I had to tone it down for awhile.

The next few days I did as I was told and tried to behave as best as I could, even if it meant doing all the stupid, little tasks Johnny asked of me each day.

After a few days, Kitty brought a stack of books to my bedroom and dropped them on my bed. "What are those?" I asked, looking up from painting my toenails.

"Your father left them here, he wants you to read a few pages every day."  
I stared at her, "You're kidding, right?"

"Danielle, it's only a few pages."

"Ugh," I groaned. "He hates me."

"Danny does not hate you," she said, sitting down beside me and placing her hand on my knee. I jerked away from her.

"You don't know that!"

"He loves you, more than anything in the universe. That's why he sent you to live with us."

"Whatever, Kitty. He wanted to get rid of me."

Kitty sighed, "Whatever you say, Danielle." She got up and walked away. I looked at the books on my bed in disgust, then grabbed my phone and text Youngblood.

**Hey, wanna hook up tonight?**

His reply came almost instantly. **Sure. There's a party that starts at midnight. Afterward, we can go to my ship.**

__**K. **I leaned back on my pillow and closed my eyes, smiling. At least I'd have a little bit of fun.


	5. Turning Point

Mindless Behavior

Chapter Five:

Johnny's POV:

Danielle hadn't taken the books Danny had left for her very well. That night, after dinner, she went to bed, claiming she had a headache.

"She's probably just upset still about the books," Kitty defended her. I'd been about to go and ask her to do the dishes. "Give her a little break, Johnny."

"She thinks he hates her," I stated, carrying the plates to the sink.

"You know she doesn't really think that," Kitty chided. "She's just upset. It will be okay."

I kissed her cheek; she always knew what to say.

That night, I checked on Danielle again before I went to bed. She was asleep over her comforter in her pajamas. Sleeping, she still looked like the sweet little girl Kitty and I had found years ago. I couldn't understand why her attitude had changed so drastically. She had been such a precious child, even after everything had happened with Vlad. I couldn't fathom what had made her suddenly become such a brat.

Danielle's POV:

Youngblood met me at the party, greeting me with a huge huge. "Ready to have some fun?" he asked.

The party completely rocked, but afterward, Youngblood took me to his pirate ship. That was fun. Nothing bad really happened, but I knew Dad, Johnny, and Kitty would freak out if they knew I was hanging out with this older, and hotter, Youngblood. I was still completely wasted when I got back to the lair.

I went to my bedroom, thinking that I was going to get away with it, and found Kitty sitting on my bed. "Shit," I muttered. "How much trouble am I in?"

"Tons," she said. "We're going to talk about this."

"Now?" I asked. "It's, like, three in the morning."

"Yes, now. Do you not understand what all this partying could do to you?"

"I'm fifteen, Kitty. I'm just having fun."

"That fun could kill you."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, rolling my eyes. There was no way having a little fun could kill me.

"You think I'm joking," she said, dead serious. "How do you think Johnny and I died?"

"A motorcycle accident."

"Yeah, leaving a party completely drunk, Danielle. I was lucky to have met Johnny, though, or I would have been killed way before that."

I sat down on my bed, intrigued, even though I didn't want to be. "Danielle, let me tell you about my life. When I was about your age, I did exactly what you're doing. Of course, I had my own reasons for doing it. I went out to parties with strangers that were much older than me. I got taken advantage of by guys I didn't know, and I didn't have ghost powers to protect myself. My parents tried to tell me that I needed to settle down. They tried everything, but I didn't listen to them. Finally, I went to one party where someone got a little too rough with me." She paused, a faraway look in her eyes. "Johnny saved me. He beat up the guy who got carried away. My parents didn't particularly like Johnny, but they felt better knowing I was with him."

"But you still-"

"Johnny and I still went to parties. I still broke curfew. Johnny and I were coming home from a party one night and we were drunk. He made a turn way too fast and it killed us both. He's never forgiven himself, but I did. He saved me that way. That's why I respect your father so much, Danielle. After he saved the world, you know that he became friends with Johnny and I. He knows what happened to us. That's probably why he worries about you so much. Danny loves you, Danielle. So much."

"I know he loves me, Kitty, I just-"

"I've only seen him cry once," she said suddenly.

"What?" I asked.

Then, for the first time in my life, she told me what had happened in the hours I'd been unconscious after they'd found me. "You were so sick when we came across you, and Danny had been looking for you nonstop. We brought you here, but you were disintegrating quickly. Danny arrived as fast as he could and when he saw you, it broke his heart. He held you and cried, not caring that Johnny and I were there. You became his everything in that moment, Danielle."

I sat there for a minute, letting this information sink in. "He cried?" I asked.

Kitty nodded. And, just like that, for the first time in months, I started crying. Kitty wrapped her arms around me and pulled me closer to her. I was sobbing now, crying harder than I'd cried in a long time. "I'm sorry," I sobbed.

"Shh," Kitty soothed, trying to comfort me. Johnny walked into the room a moment later. I looked up and his face looked angry; I knew that _he_ knew that I'd sneaked out. I pulled away from Kitty and wrapped my arms around Johnny, longing for him to hold me the way he used to when I spent the night here and had nightmares.

"I'm so sorry," I sobbed.

He seemed shocked for a second, then he wrapped his arms around me and hoisted me up, just like he used to do. "It's alright," he said, stroking my hair.

He sat down on my bed and held me tightly against him. "I'm sorry," I sobbed again. "I've been a complete monster."

"Honey," he said, wiping my tears, "it's all okay. You're forgiven."

"I want my daddy," I said. I reached for my phone in my pocket and realized that I'd left it at Youngblood's. Now didn't see the time to bring it up, though, and Kitty was already handing me her phone.

I scrolled down to Dad's number, though my vision was blurry from my tears. I hit call and pressed the phone to my ear.

Dad answered on the first ring, sounding sleepy and a bit concerned. "Kitty?" he answered. "What's going on?"

"Daddy," I said. "It's me."

"Danielle?" he asked, sounding shocked. "Are you crying, honey?"

He knew me so well. "I'm so sorry," I said, breaking down in tears again.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, still sounding surprised, but concerned. I was still crying and he was growing more confused and panicky by the second. "It's okay, sweetheart. Will you put Johnny on the phone?"

"Okay," I sniffled. I handed the phone to Johnny and he passed me off to Kitty, then walked into the hallway to talk to Dad.


	6. Tempermental

Mindless Behavior

Chapter Six:

Johnny's POV:

I took the phone and went into the hallway. Danielle's sudden change of attitude was a big shocker and I was sure Danny was freaking out, having her randomly call him in the middle of the night.

"Hello?" I said, pressing the phone to my ear.

"Johnny? What's going on? Is Danielle alright?"

"She's fine. Kitty caught her coming back in from somewhere and talked to her. She finally broke down."

"Where was she?" he asked.

"I have no clue, but I'm sure we'll find out. Why don't you come by in the morning, well, actually in a few hours?"

"Alright. I'll see you then."

I hung up and went back into Danielle's room. She was sitting beside Kitty now, talking like a reasonable person for once, even though she was still crying. I sat on the other side of her.

"I just wanted to be different," she said.

"Different?" Kitty asked gently.

"I'm a _clone_. I shouldn't have even been created and I'm nowhere near as good as Danny. He's a superhero who saved the world. I'm just...a wannabe version of him."

"Danielle, that's not true," I said.

"Yes, it is," she argued. "It seems like everyone is expecting me to be just like him, some big superhero, and I'll never be that. I don't even know if I want to be that... I didn't want people to get their hopes up."

"So you'd rather rebel against everything Danny says and sneak out to parties and put yourself in dangerous situations?"

"Well...no," she replied. "I don't like this either... I just... I want to be myself and it's nearly impossible to be an individual person. Everything in me was created to be just like him. I was supposed to _be_ him. And everywhere I go, someone is either pointing out that I'm his clone or there's some huge reminder that he's a hero- like the statues or posters..."

"Danielle, you are not him," Kitty said. "He's never expected you to be him. He just wants to protect you."

"I know," Danielle said quietly, yawning. "But I want people to know me as Danielle, _not _Danny Phantom's clone."

"Why don't you go to sleep and we'll talk about this later?" I suggested, pulling back her comforter.

She climbed under the blankets and laid down. Kitty and I both kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Danielle," I said. "We love you."

"I love you guys, too," she said. And for what's it worth, she seemed like our little girl again. The little girl who came running to her uncle Johnny after nightmares and baked cakes with Kitty. The girl who needed her father in her life more than anything else. Our Danielle was back.

Danny's POV:

A few hours later, once I'd woken up, I started to get ready to go to Kitty and Johnny's. Just as I was about to leave, I noticed that I had a voice mail on my phone...and a missed call from Danielle. I hit the button to listen to the message.

"Hey, Phantom," an all too familiar voice said. "It's Youngblood. Danielle left her phone on my ship. Tell her that I'll bring give it to her the next time I see her...oh- and that I had a great time last night."

I saw red. My precious daughter had been with Youngblood?! Why the hell had she been with him. I was beyond furious. There were no words to describe how angry I was. I shut my phone and phased down to the portal.

When I arrived at their lair, I didn't bother to knock. I walked through foyer and to the living room, where Danielle was sitting. When I walked in, she looked up. "What the hell were you doing at Youngblood's last night?!" I roared.

"Dad, I was just-"

"I can't believe you! Disobeying me is one thing, but hooking up with trash like him?!"

"Dad, how did you even know?" she asked, sounding close to tears.

"You left your phone there. He called and left me a voice mail," I snarled, my voice laced with venom.

Johnny walked in at that moment, seeming surprised and even a bit frightened by my anger. "What's going on?" he asked.

I turned around to glare at him, "My daughter is a little brat and you let her sneak out to go hook up with _Youngblood_!"

"Danny, calm down," Johnny said reasonably. "Danielle's sorry for the way she's been acting and Youngblood has grown up a lot." However, I caught him shoot an irritated look at Danielle.

"You knew about this?!"

"Well, no, but he isn't a bad-"

I turned away from him toward Danielle, "What were you doing there, Danielle?!"

"We went to his ship after the party," she barely whispered. It was then that Kitty walked in from the kitchen, immediately going to comfort Danielle, who had begun to cry.

I turned and started toward the door with only one thought in my mind; find and destroy Youngblood.

"Where are you going?" Johnny asked, grabbing my shoulder.

"I'm going to go and obliterate Youngblood for whatever he did to my daughter."

"I think you'd better calm down first-"

"Don't you dare try to tell me what to do," I snapped, jerking away from him and going out the door.

Youngblood was history.


	7. Gone Too Far

Mindless Behavior

Chapter Seven:

Johnny's POV:

"I'll go after him," I said to Kitty and Danielle after Danny walked out. I was honestly frightened for Youngblood's safety. Danny's eyes...they hadn't looked right when he'd been here yelling at Danielle. His eyes had looked darker. Speaking of Danielle, she was in tears. "I didn't do anything with Youngblood," she was sobbing into Kitty's shoulder. "I swear. He kissed me, but that's it. We just talked."

"Shh, sweetheart," Kitty soothed.

"I'm going to go talk to him before he does something stupid," I said, pulling on my jacket.

"Wait!" Danielle said. "I'll come, too."

I looked down at her, her face was streaked with tears and her eyes were red. "Danielle, I don't think that's a good idea," I said gently.

"Please-"

"Dani, I just don't think-"

"Please." She locked eyes with me and I could see how badly she wanted to go.

"Okay, come on."

She jumped up and followed me out. We needed to get to Youngblood's fast. The way Danny was acting, I had no idea what he would do.

Danny's POV:

I got to Youngblood's ship and pounded on the door. Youngblood opened the door, "Hey, Phantom-" he began.

I cut him off by grabbing his throat and pinning him to the wall. "I don't know what the hell you were thinking, but I want you to stay the fuck away from my daughter!"

"Dude, chill out," he said, clawing at my hand, which was dangerously tight around his throat.

"Don't you dare tell me to chill out!" I shouted in his face. "I'm going to blast you into oblivion."

It was then that someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me away from him, "Danny! Calm the fuck down!" Johnny shouted.

"Let go of me, Johnny!" I snarled, realizing that I was no longer in control of my actions. I shoved Johnny away from me and turned back to Youngblood, who'd slipped to the floor to catch his breath. I grabbed him by his collar and hauled him back to his feet. "Back to you!" I growled, pulling my hand back, ready to punch him.

Someone grabbed my arm; I whipped around to find Danielle clinging to my arm. I pushed her off, watching in horror as she dropped to the ground. I couldn't stop myself, though, even as she looked up at me with tears in her eyes and fear on her face.

I reeled back, ready to try the punch again, when Johnny suddenly pulled me back and pinned me to the wall. "Let go!" I yelled.

"Look at yourself, Danny!" Johnny yelled in my face, gesturing toward the mirror hanging on the wall. I turned, just slightly, and what I saw made me stop in pure horror. My eyes, usually vibrant green or ice blue, were glowing red. Just like Vlad's...just like Dan's...

I looked toward Youngblood, who was in a protective stance in front of Danielle...protecting her from me. "You can let me go," I said to Johnny. "I'm fine."

He dropped his hands to his sides and stepped back. I looked in the mirror once again, my eyes still red. I blinked a few times rapidly, and they were back to green.

"Danielle," I breathed, taking a step toward her. She skittered backward, seeming afraid. I noticed a bruise forming on her arm from where I'd pushed her. "Danielle, honey, I am so sorry," I said.

I took another step toward her, but she turned away from me, wrapping her arms around herself. I looked at Youngblood, the imprint of my hand still around his neck, then I looked at Johnny, who looked upset and angry.

"I-I've got to go," I said.

"Go where?" Johnny asked, stepping in front of the door.

"I need to be alone."

Johnny nodded and stepped aside. As soon as he was out of my way, I bolted out the door. I was on the verge of hyperventilating; I was becoming my worst fear. I hated myself for hurting Danielle and it scared me that I hadn't been in control of my actions.

I flew to the farthest, most vacant part of the Ghost Zone and began to blast away chunks of rocks. I needed to stay away for awhile; I couldn't risk hurting the people I loved.


	8. Resolution

Mindless Behavior

Chapter Eight:

Johnny's POV:

After Danny left, I turned to Danielle, who was clinging to Youngblood and crying. Let me say it how it is; I'd never disliked Youngblood. He was annoying when he was being a child, but when he'd grow up, he'd _really_ grown up. I figured he was good for Danielle and she was probably good for him.

At the moment, though, that was the least of my concern. The marks on Youngblood's neck were disappearing, but Danielle had a nice sized bruise forming on her arm.

"Danielle, sweetheart, let's get home, okay?" I said.

She nodded and looked up at Youngblood. "You can come, too," I said to him.

He nodded and the three of us went back to the lair. Kitty was waiting anxiously when we walked in. The first thing she noticed was the bruise on Danielle. "What happened?" she gasped.

"It's a long story and I'll explain later," I said. "Why don't you get some ice for the swelling?"

Kitty nodded and went to the kitchen, coming back with an icepack. She handed it to Danielle, who pressed it against her arm. She then grabbed my elbow and dragged me down the hall to our bedroom, shutting the door behind us.

"What happened?"

I sighed and explained what happened with Danny.

"Oh, my gosh," she said. "Do you know where he went?"

"No idea," I said.

"Johnny, we need to find him."

"I know, but you should have seen him Kitty. He completely flipped out on her and Youngblood."

"You still need to find him and talk to him."

"I'm going to let him calm down first," I said.

"That's probably a good idea," Kitty admitted.

"I'm going to go check on Danielle," I told her, walking out of the room.

In the living room, I found Danielle lying on the sofa. Youngblood stood next to her, stroking her hair. She was fast asleep. "I should probably go, but please have her call me whenever she can," Youngblood said, offering me his hand.

"Of course," I said, shaking his hand.

With that, he leaned down to kiss her forehead, then let himself out. I picked up the icepack that had slipped to the floor, then I covered Danielle with a blanket that had been draped over the back of the couch. I walked into the kitchen and put the icepack back into the freezer, startled when Kitty walked up behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"Johnny, I'm really worried. I think you need to go check on him."

I sighed, "Alright. I'll try to go find him."

Kitty's POV:

After Johnny left, I went into the living room. Danielle was still asleep on the sofa. I sat down in the recliner and turned on the television, leaving the volume low. Johnny was still gone when Danielle woke up. She sat up and looked around drowsily.

"Where's Youngblood?" she asked.

"He went home," I told her gently.

She sat there for a moment, then everything seemed to come rushing back to her. "Where's my dad?"

"Johnny went to look for him."

"He's mad at me," she said, her eyes filling with tears.

"He isn't mad at you, Danielle, he's just upset."

"He pushed me down," she pointed out quietly.

"He was angry with the situation, not with you. That's all," I told her.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded, "Danny loves you, and nothing you could do would ever make him stop loving you."

She got up and walked over to hug me. I hugged her back, happy that she was finally back to being our little girl, like before.

Johnny's POV:

It took forever to find Danny. I had underestimated him; when he didn't want to be found, it was nearly impossible to find him. I finally found him on an island in the most vacant part of the zone. He was blasting chunks of rocks off the canyon walls.

"Danny!" I said, just loudly enough to get his attention. I didn't want to startle him and get myself blasted in the process.

He whipped around and glared at me. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Danny, calm down. I'm only here to talk to you."

"You want to talk?" he asked. "Let's talk about the fact that I completely lost control of myself. My eyes were _red_. I shoved Danielle hard enough that I left a bruise. I could have destroyed Youngblood."

"But you didn't," I pointed out.

"The only reason I didn't was because you pointed out that my eyes were red. Nothing else could have made me stop. I _knew_ that I'd hurt Danielle, but I still couldn't stop myself. I'm dangerous, Johnny!"

"You need to control yourself better, but you aren't dangerous. You would have never hurt Danielle."

"You do not know that. And I _did_ hurt her! I wasn't in control of anything I did. What if I hadn't of just shoved her, what if I'd blasted her? I don't know how I would have lived with myself. She's the most important thing in my world and I could have destroyed her in an instant without even caring." He eyes filled with tears, but he blinked them away. I was relieved to see that they were still his usual neon green.

"You just have to remember that when you get upset."

"How will I be able to?" he nearly whispered. "I had nothing in my mind but wanting to destroy Youngblood. And that didn't even help the situation. I still don't know what happened between the two of them and I'm still pissed about it." His eyes flashed red for only a second.

"Danny," I said warningly.

He took a deep breath, "I don't want Danielle to get hurt, Johnny. Not by me. Not by anyone. I don't want him to hurt her."

"I know Youngblood better than you, Danny. He wouldn't hurt her and I know he wouldn't let anything happen to her. He's a good kid. And Danielle swears that he only kissed her. That was it. Nothing happened between them. He may not always seem like it, but I know he respects you. Nearly everyone in here, myself included, respects you. And a lot us would never let anything happen to Danielle."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I know she was out of control for awhile there, but you've been entirely overprotective. It's okay to let her come in here on her own, it's okay to let her start school. It's okay to let her see Youngblood. There are a lot of us who wouldn't let anything happen to her, you know that. If you got worried, you could call me or Kitty and we'd be looking for her in a heartbeat."

He rubbed the back of his neck and sat down on a rock. "You're better at this," he said.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You're better at being a father, being _her_ father. You didn't freak out on her and hurt her."

"You _are_ her father, and everyone loses control sometimes. It's alright. You just need to control it."

"I'm afraid I'm turning into my alternate self."

"You're _not_," I assured him. "And Danielle is scared. She wants her father. You want to be a good father, don't you?"

He nodded, "Of course I do."

I continued, "Then you need to go talk to her and be there for her. She needs you."

"You're right," he agreed, standing up. "Let's go."

Danny's POV:

Johnny had a point and, even though a lot of the time I would never admit it, he was smarter than I gave him credit for.

When we got back to the lair, I walked in, finding Danielle and Kitty in the living room. Danielle looked up at me. I walked over to her and pulled her into my arms, sitting down with her on my lap. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart," I murmured, stroking her hair. "I'm sorry I hurt you and I'm sorry I scared you. I will never let that happen again."

I held onto her. I knew that, right now, I needed her way more than she needed me. I kissed the top of her head. "Can you forgive me?" I asked.

She looked up at me and nodded. "I love you, Daddy," she said.

"I love you, too," I told her. And with that, I knew that because of her, I was strong enough to continue being a hero, to continue being good and not evil. I knew that I loved her, more than anything else in my universe. As long as I had her, everything was going to be fine.

**A/N: So sorry for the crappy ending. I've got three other stories I need to work on, but only one that has been posted so far. I'll be working on "Hurting You, Killing Me," next week, for those of you wondering. Until then, I'm going to work on a cross over of "Repo! The Genetic Opera" and "Danny Phantom." Thanks.**

** -Kelci Lynn**


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